Thousands Named “Snyder” Petition Redskins Owner Dan Snyder to Change His Name

More than 700,000 Americans with the last name "Snyder" delivered a petition to the home offices of the Washington Redskins today demanding that team owner Daniel Snyder change his name.

"Dan Snyder is well known as a loathsome person and incompetent team owner," said Jeff Snyder, of Peoria, Ill. "Every day he does further damage to the Snyder name. When most people hear the name 'Snyder' now, they think of assholery and failure. Today we say enough is enough."

The petition demands that Snyder officially change his last name within 72 hours, or be slapped with a defamation lawsuit.

"He has done great damage to everyone named Snyder," said Sara Snyder, who owns a flower shop in San Diego. "Even though I live thousands of miles away from Washington, D.C., people regularly ask me if I'm related to that 'prick Dan Snyder.' I know I have lost business because of my name — a name that he has ruined."

It is just the latest push to get Snyder to change his name. Last year, more than a million people named Dan petitioned Snyder to use a different first name. He refused. The Dan defamation lawsuit that resulted is still working its way through the courts.

"I will never change my name," said Snyder. "As a lifelong Snyder, it is part of the history of me. Plus, what would I change it to? If I changed it to Smith or Jones, I would just get sued by people named Smith or Jones for ruining their names. I can't win."